Chapter 22
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Stepping out of his bathroom and into his bedroom, Dragon stopped dead in his tracks.
The sight before him was everything he’d been positive he could never have, and yet everything that had fallen into his lap.
Lying spreadeagled and tied to his bed was Cassandra.
She was naked, the cuts and bruises from the explosion clearly visible, along with the wounds from the attack in her home a week ago.
As much as he hated seeing those marks on her beautiful body, they were reminders that she was a fierce warrior, stronger than everyone—herself included—gave her credit for.
Last night, she had fought for her life and won, and while he would never be able to erase the image of her pressed into the forest floor with that man on top of her, preparing to rape her, she was there, safe with him, and proving once again that she could handle anything.
The flight back there had been quiet, and Cassandra and Rose had both slept through most of it.
He’d stripped her out of her ruined clothes the second they got into their vehicle and dressed her in one of his spare shirts instead.
Seeing her in his clothes had filled him with a possessiveness that had made it difficult to let Voodoo examine her.
Once they were finally back home, he’d bathed her slowly, attentively, caressing every inch of her body as though he could erase the pain she suffered.
They’d spoken more about what had happened in that van, and she’d told him in broken whispers how the man had started raping her, penetrating her, although not all the way, before she’d thrown up then broken his nose and run.
Holding his little rabbit while she cried had been easier than he would have thought. That instinct to protect, but in a different way, was one he was sure he hadn't possessed, yet the moment tears began to shimmer in Cassandra’s eyes, she was in his arms.
Neither of them had spoken, there hadn't been a need for words.
Nothing he could say would erase what had happened, and they both knew that.
All Cassandra needed was support, to know she wasn't alone, to know he would do his best to slay the monsters that lived inside her head as well as the physical ones.
When she started shivering as the water in the bath cooled, he’d scooped her up, carried her to his bed, and held her as they slept.
If it were up to him, he wouldn't have initiated anything sexual until Cassandra had had plenty of time to heal.
Especially knowing her fears about there being something wrong with her because she liked rough sex, and her mom had been raped.
While he knew in her head she understood the difference, when she was vulnerable, it was hard for her to remember it.
But he’d been woken by Cassandra’s hands stroking him, a sultry smile on her face, a plea on her lips that she needed him to wipe away the memories, not let that man take something important from her.
Because he never wanted to be someone Cassandra doubted, he needed her to know that he was always there for her one hundred percent, that she only needed to ask and he would do anything she wanted, he’d given in.
So now he had her tied up, thick bandages around her wrists because while he knew she liked to see her blood flowing, he wasn't going to reopen the wounds on her wrists after she’d just survived an explosion.
She’d given into the compromise, and once he had her restrained he’d grabbed one of the toys he’d bought to use on her, turned it on, put it inside her, and then left her there, squirming in his bed, while he took a shower.
Now he stood, leaning his shoulder against the wall, one of his hands absently stroking himself as he watched Cassandra writhe on the bed. Her skin was flushed, dotted with sweat, as her hips rocked, seeking more stimulation than the toy he’d left set on low could offer.
Her green gaze moved to meet his as she realized he was watching her, and she whimpered through the gag.
Stalking toward the bed, Dragon stood beside it, staring down at his pretty little captive. Grabbing one of her breasts, he kneaded it roughly, then took the hardened peak of the nipple between his thumb and forefinger and tweaked it hard.
Moaning, Cassandra thrust her chest up, seeking more, but he withdrew his hand, drawing another whimper from her.
“You ready to beg yet, little rabbit?” he asked, trailing his fingers down her stomach and between her legs. Holding the end of the toy, he pulled it out slowly, then shoved it back in, making her back arch and a moan tumble from her lips. “Well?”
Defiance sparked in her green eyes, and she gave a sharp shake of her head.
Chuckling, he reached for the remote to the toy and turned the setting up a couple, enough to torment her, keep her hovering on the peak of an orgasm, but not allowing her to fall into it.
“Okay then, little rabbit, your choice. I told you, you wouldn't be coming until you begged for it. If you're not ready, I certainly am.”
Climbing onto the bed, Dragon placed his knees on either side of Cassandra’s head, removed the gag, and then positioned his already achingly hard tip against her lips.
Before he went any further, he paused to check her gaze, to confirm this was still what she wanted.
She had a safe word and a signal in case her mouth was otherwise occupied, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to check in constantly to make sure she was okay.
When he saw nothing but hunger and desire flaming in her green depths, he tangled his fingers in her long locks and pressed into the warmth of her mouth.
Since he knew she didn't want gentle, that she wanted to be used and controlled, Dragon let himself fall into a rhythm, taking her mouth hard and fast, while maintaining enough cognizance to ensure that he didn't hurt her.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, her skin reddened further as she couldn’t draw in as much air, and her hips buckled wildly behind him as she sought a release that wasn't coming yet. But throughout it all, he saw the arousal in her eyes and knew she was as into this as he was.
More so.
As he came down her throat, he kept himself there until he was sure she had swallowed every last drop before slowly pulling out.
“Ready to beg yet, little rabbit?” he asked as he moved down her body until he was kneeling between her spread legs.
“I need … I need to come,” she whimpered.
Flicking his fingertips against her swollen bundle of nerves, Dragon shook his head. “That’s not begging, little rabbit, and you know it. If you want to come, you have to beg for it, that was our deal.”
“Your deal.” She huffed.
“You were the one who woke up wanting to play,” he reminded her as he pinched her bud hard enough to make her squeak, her hips instinctively attempting to draw away, but he maintained his hold and began to roll her bud between his fingers.
“Please,” she moaned.
“Please what?” he taunted, pressing the palm of his hand against the bottom of the toy and shifting it inside her, making Cassandra’s eyes roll back.
“Please let me come.”
“Are you begging me, little rabbit?”
“Y-yes. Please, I'm begging, I need to come, I want to come, please, Dragon, let me come,” she pleaded, and the scent of her arousal hung so heavily in the air that he was powerless to do anything other than give her what she needed.
Easing the toy out, he shut it off and tossed it aside, then pressed his nose to her center and dragged in a deep breath.
This scent right here, this complete and utter trust Cassandra was offering him, was what he wanted to cement in his mind.
Any time he doubted himself, that he could be what she wanted, needed, he wanted to remember this moment.
At the first swipe of his tongue, her hips flew off the bed, and he pressed a hand to her stomach, holding her in place as he feasted.
Keeping his touch light and slow, he worked her higher and higher.
On the pillow, her head began to thrash, her fingers were curled into fists, her hips would have rocked if she were able to, and rambled pleas fell from her lips, growing increasingly desperate as he took his time.
Licking, sucking, nipping, Dragon devoured what was his, and when he was ready, he scraped his teeth against her bud, and she exploded as a powerful orgasm rushed through her. Even without Blade in the house, he was pretty sure everybody else had heard her scream as her release tore through her.
Suckling her gently through the aftershocks, when she went limp on the mattress, Dragon moved, untying the ropes, inspecting her wrists for any signs of damage to her skin beneath the bandages, and then gathering her into his arms to carry her to the bathroom so he could clean her up.
“Thank you,” she whispered, touching a kiss to his cheek as he cradled her in his arms.
“For what?”
“Giving me exactly what I need and want. For being more than I could ever hope for.”
Her words, so honest and true, sank deep into his soul, smoothing out all the hardness he’d had to learn to create in order to survive. Cassandra thought he was the one who had given her what she needed and wanted, but she was the one who had given him everything.
She had saved him from himself.
January 10th
4:55 P.M.
Standing at the tree line, Cassandra watched the house.
Sooner or later, Dragon would notice she wasn't in it, and as soon as he did, she planned on running.
Nothing and no one was going to steal her newfound joy of sex. She’d only just reclaimed that side of herself, and she wasn't going to let her would-be abductor steal that from her.
No way.
She wanted to live freely.
After playing in the bedroom with Dragon this morning, they’d gone downstairs and eaten with the rest of his team, and then she’d called her family. She’d asked them all to gather together, and she’d explained to all of them that she had been struggling more than she had been letting on.